Jamaada Al Thanny 21,1436/April 10 ,2015 Issue No. 623

This Newsletter contains some of Allahs names. Please do not throw in the trash. Either keep, circulate or shred

Friday BulletinTheThe Weekly Muslim News Update

www.islamkenya.org

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State must change strategy to win terror campaign

Garissa attack anti Islam and barbaric, Muslim leaders say

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Jamia Mosque deputy Imam Sheikh Juma Amir (fourth left) Sheikh Subki Shee together with worshippers from Jamia mosque and Muslim students of the University of Nairobi during a food distribution exercise for the famillies of the vicitms of the Garissa Univer-sity College attack at the Chiromo Mortuary on Wednesday.

President faulted over terror war

The attack on Garissa Univer-sity College has once again exposed the danger that Ken-ya faces from groups determined to threaten the countrys security and harm innocent Kenyans.The brazen raid by Al-Shabaab mili-tants provides painful reminders that schools, colleges, markets, places of worship, and residential areas remain vulnerable to terrorist attacks.It is clear that the militants are out to cause mayhem and threaten peace-ful coexistence among Kenyans of different ethnic, racial, and religious backgrounds. They are out to cause bloodshed and mayhem as they do not value or respect human life.What is more disturbing is that these bunch of criminals are riding on the name of Islam to perpetrate these acts of violence thereby bringing a negative reputation towards the faith and Muslims.It is clear that such lurid actions are condemned in Islam and there is no place for killing of innocent peo-ple whatever the faith backgrounds. Among the fundamental pillars of Is-lam is to safeguard human lives and this is an obligation upon every Mus-lims. The Quran categorically forbids acts of murder equating the one who kills an innocent person with killing the whole of humanity. Such groups which have hijacked Islamic principles and justified their criminal actions with cherry-picked verses from the Quran have only served to harm the reputation of Islam among non-Muslims and also helped to increase the repression and injus-tice towards members of the commu-nity.As the security agencies grapple with the task of dealing with the heav-ily armed attackers who meticulously planned their deadly mission, unan-swered questions still remain on why little was done to prevent the maca-bre attack.It is disturbing that all these attacks have been preceded by warnings, sometimes in the public domain, that

Muslim leaders have come out strongly to condemn the Garissa University collage at-tack that claimed the lives of 147 people. Last weeks Thursday dawn attack carried out by the Somali based Al Shabbab militia that targeted the only public university in the region was the second largest terror attack in the country after the 1998 US embassy bombings.The attack also came one and half years after the gruesome raid on the Westgate Shopping Centre by Al Shabbab which left more than 70 people dead.Speaking at a media conference on Saturday at the KICC Nairobi, the leaders distanced Islam from the senseless killings saying Mus-lims are mourning the tragic loss and like oth-er Kenyans are also aggrieved and affected by the tragedy.The Muslim leadership in the country con-demns the senseless killing of innocent stu-dents at Garissa University college in the strongest terms possible said the leaders in

a statement read by Jamia Mosque commit-tee member Ibrahim Lethome.Accompanied by various leaders and schol-ars, Lethome said regretted that some mis-guided elements have soiled the reputation of the Islamic faith through their acts of terror-ism which are contrary to Islamic teachings and practices. He added that the communitys political and religious leaders together with opinion shapers will embark on a campaign to give a counter narrative against the extremist ideals being propagated by deviant groups. He further urged the community and its lead-ership particularly the Imams to use the pulpit (mimbar) and all other available avenues to preach the correct teachings of Islam.Echoing the same sentiments, foreign affairs cabinet secretary Ambassador Amina Mu-hammad described the Garissa incident as an attack against the people of Kenya while observing that those behind the wanton kill-ings do not represent nor speak for Muslims.

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The call of Islam: Peace and moderation not intolerance

Muhuri, Haki Africa protest terror link

Friday Bulletin commentary

The Friday Bulletin Jamaada Al Thanny 21,1436/April 10 ,2015

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Uhuru faulted on the role of communities in war on terror

COMMENTARY

This is not and has nothing to do with our religion. We dont expect them to speak or act for us, they are criminals who should be apprehended and prosecuted as evils who commit heinous crimes, she said at the press briefing.The CS urged the media to desist associ-ating terrorist with Islam in their reporting stressing that they are criminal elements who should not be associated with the Is-lamic faith. I am appealing to the media to stop using the words Islamists to describe terrorists. Call them what they are, they are not Islamists they are criminals and evils who need to be addressed and exposed as such. Dont give them any shred of re-spectability, Amina said. On his part Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims secretary general Adan Wachu noted that terrorism is a global phenome-non that requires concerted efforts and the Muslim leadership is working on strategies to address the vice. The Muslim leadership is doing everything possible in making sure that our youth do not go astray. We are trying everything possible we can to help the government to combat radicalization, said Wachu.Describing Kenya as a peaceful country, visiting Canadian scholar Sheikh Said Rageah called upon religious scholars to take up the responsibility of educating the masses about Islam stressing that that teachings of the faith do not condone the killing of innocent people.He added that the religion is spread through peace and not through aggression stressing that Islam is a peaceful religion and there is no compulsion in religion.Addressing participants during the Journey of Faith Islamic conference on Sunday at KICC, presidential advisor Abdikadir Mu-hammad urged the community to rise up and condemn the actions of the few ele-ments who are tarnishing the name of the religion. Radicalization is our problem we are the ones suffering and it is time for us to own up. In North Eastern we are marginalized our economies are collapsing. Let us not allow actions of cynical people with cynical message ruin our religion. he said as he told the Muslim community to confront the problem and not to continue hiding heads in the sand.Abdikadir further urged parents, teachers and community leaders to monitor and keep track of the youth and the activities they engage in. The leaders who spoke during the three-day Journey of Faith Islamic conference held at the KICC, urged Kenyans to stand united and not fall for the evil intensions of criminals who wish to see the country di-vided along religious and ethnic lines. They further warned against the profiling and blanket condemnation of the Muslim community and appealed to the security and law enforcement agencies to follow the rule of law in bringing the perpetrators of the heinous act to book.

'Garissa attack barbaric'

President Uhuru Kenyattas comments that the Muslim community was not do-ing enough to tame acts of terrorism and radicalization have elicited rebuttals from Muslim leaders who reproached the gov-ernment for its failure to engage the com-munity.In his televised public address to the na-tion following last weeks killing of 147 peo-ple at the Garissa university college, the president questioned the role of the Muslim community and the leadership in counter-ing violent extremism. "Radicalization that breeds terrorism is not conducted in the bush at night. It occurs in the full glare of day, in madrasas, in homes, and in Mosques with rogue imams. We must ask where are the religious leaders, the community leadership and the parents and families of those who are radicalizing

our young people, he said. But this statement was not taken lightly by Muslim leaders who maintained that blame should not be shifted to the communities as the government has not been keen on responding to calls for meaningful engage-ment to address the problem. The Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims (SUPKEM) deputy secretary general Has-san Ole Naado urged the government to change policy by coming up with clear policy on controlling violent extremism and stop relying on outdated counter terrorism strategy.He noted that the Muslim community to-gether with its leadership is willing and committed to fight extremism and accused the government of being slow to open up and engage the communities.The gov-

the terrorists have locked on to certain targets, yet the security agents are always taken by surprise. There have been too many attacks in the recent past Westgate, Mpeketoni, Man-dera, and other smaller attacks in Nairobi and in Mombasa for business to go on as usual, there is an urgent need for se-curity agencies to devise new appropriate strategies to deal with the growing danger of terrorism.This is a war against a faceless enemy and as part of the strategies, working with local communities is an important ingre-dient in stemming and addressing this problem. Winning the hearts and minds of the people is a crucial element in this campaign.It is however, abhorring that the recent measures being taken in the aftermath of the Garissa tragedy, it appears were not well thought of and will do little to help the government efforts to fight the menace. A gazette notice which froze the accounts of individuals, business establishments, known and credible Muslim organisations and placed them alongside elements which support terrorism will only serve to create consternation in the Muslim com-munity and further alienate the commu-nity. Without warning, forex bu-reaus which have been li-censed by the Central Bank of Kenya were all of a sudden declared terrorist entities and this included agencies whose operations have been sanctioned by the United States and Britain which have tighter laws on money laundering and ter-rorist financing. Human rights organisations which have been at the forefront in fighting radicalism and extremism have now been branded as supporters and financiers of terror-ist groups. For long, these organisations have been working closely with the gov-ernment security officials at the coast in addressing this nauseating challenge.In a meeting last week with the Foreign Affairs cabinet secretary Amina Muham-

mad, Muslim leaders took issue with the government for its incessant to blame the community leadership for doing little to combat radicalization but the State had all along failed to take into consideration concerns related to the security of those who have faced threats for speaking out against extremism.She promised the government support and cooperation only for the State make an abrupt turn and label prominent Muslim scholars who in the past have faced death threats by Al Shabbab as among financi-ers, supporters and sympathizers of the terror group.There is also an existing subtle mistrust between the government and the Muslim community which has also been among the major hindrances in the successful implementation of the campaign against terrorism. While the government sees the community as uncooperative, at the same time the community views the state secu-rity machinery as repressive and unfairly target Muslims on the basis of their faith.It is an irony which will only make it dif-ficult for community leaders to play an active role in this campaign as the State has failed to recognize their role and in-stead placed them in the same league among those contributing to the mayhem

being experienced in the country.All Kenyans are affected by this menace and this has transcended religion boundaries. In all the attacks includ-

ing the Garissa University attack, Muslims have been among those who have lost their lives and this call for concerted efforts for all stakeholders to fight this menace. Blaming, finger pointing and ostracizing an entire community or its leadership and putting in place measures which appear to target a particular community is not a panacea to this problem. What is needed is a complete change in strategies which will bring all Kenyans to-gether to actively fight against terrorism as it is a plague which affects each and every Kenyan

Continued From Page 1Change of tack needed to win terror war

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The Friday Bulletin

Islam is salaam (peace) and tasleem (sub-mission to the Divine). In Islam Peace is the standard, it is the principle, and each person of faith has the moral obligation to maintain peace, without compromising on justice and truth. Islam invites to the subul as-salaam (pathway of peace); peace of mind, peace of conscience, peace in the family and society, peace with one's Crea-tor and His creation. One of the attributes of the Divine is As-Salaam (The Source of Peace) and Muslim greeting universally, upon meeting and departing, is as-salamu 'alaykum or "peace be unto you". The final and ultimate reward for human endeavor is Paradise, referred to in the Qur'an as Dar-us-Salaam (Abode of Peace) The Believers were intended to be an um-mah (community) that serves as a stand-ard/model for others; what the Qur'an describes ."...And we have made you (ummatan wasata) a median community / a people of moderation/ a balanced me-dium in order that you may be a testimony or model for humanity." [Qur'an 2:143] It is the absence of the balance provided by wasatiyyah (moderation) that extremism creeps in. Wasatiyyah is an antidote to ... ghuluww (excessiveness), tanattu' (harsh-ness), tashaddud (severity), tatarruf (ex-tremism) ... in all its forms. Intolerance whence?How is it then that some Muslims are so intolerant of other faiths, involved in atro-cious and heinous acts of violence and senseless killing? Are they oblivious to the historic example of how the Prophet en-gaged those of different Faiths? It seems that some among Muslims seem to have lost sound understanding of the teachings of our Faith and are substituting the sub-lime message of Islam by a discourse of anger and the rhetoric of rage. There is no command or teaching in Islam that can be referenced as the direct reason behind an extreme act, and killing. Those who are planning and orchestrating any senseless killings are the worst representatives of their religions and enemies of their com-munities. Those who are perpetrators acts of wanton violence in the name of Islam are doing a most grievous disservice to Islam. Others take pride in being Muslims how-ever un-Muslim their stance may be. Then there are those who cheer acts of violence because they too have degenerated into a hateful people. Zealots are a plague upon religion. Extremists, whether reactionary or radical are a bane to religion. Reactionary extrem-ists do not want any pluralism; they view the world in black and white, good and evil terms. They are good and anyone who op-poses them is evil. From among the Mus-lims these are people who 'excommunicate' any Muslim who fail to share their interpre-tations of the Qur'an and their understand-ing of the faith. They use takfir (denouncing a Muslim as an unbeliever) and character

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The call of Islam: Peace and moderation, not intolerance and extremism Sadullah Khan

DA'WA

SUNDAY LECTURESUNDAY

Ukweli wa kumpenda mtume By: Abu Qauthar12th April 2014

Time: 2.00 pm -4.00 pm Venue: Makina Kibera

assassination as a tool for marginalizing any criticism directed at them. Radical extremists differ only in that they will use violence to further their cause and that the end justifies the means. They see any act as acceptable if it will further their 'cause.' This is blatantly anti-Islamic. In Is-lam the means must reflect its noble ends. Any means that does not embody the core truths and ethics of Islam is not from Islam and thus denounced as aberration. Islam is not a secret society of conspirators who no one knows what they are planning. Is-lam declares openly its aims and objec-tives and these are recognized by good people everywhere as pure and congruent with their own wisdom and traditions. Islam never allows a Muslim to kill the innocent and the helplessLabeling something Islamic does not make it justifiable. Realize, that just because you are religious does not mean that you are right. Desiring to implement Islamic values is always no-ble, but having a meaningful and effective strategy is indeed most significant. Forc-ing other is never an acceptable resort and certainly not the first resort; especially since our deen/way of life commands us not to use compulsion as a tool. Just be-cause something needs to be done does not mean that anything that is done is okay; and just because something is done in reli-gious fervor does not in any way prove that it is Islamically correct. According to the Qur'an [5:32]; Muslims have inherited the command from that prescribed to the Children of Israel "who-ever takes a single life without justification is as if he has killed the entire humanity." Furthermore we are reminded, If Allah had not repelled some people through others, monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques; all in which Allah's name is much celebrated, would have been destroyed. Allah will certainly help those who help His cause and surely, Allah is All-Powerful, All-Mighty' [Qur'an, 22:40]If we do not abide by these principles es-tablished in the Qur'an, then we are un-dermining the very spirit of our Deen. We must heed the Qur'anic warning against extremism in religion. ... do not be extreme in your religion [Qur'an 4:171] The Prophet further warned, My intercession will not be availed to two categories of my community; an oppressive/unjust ruler and a rebellious extremist [Tibrani] I warn you regarding ex-tremism, because communities before you were destroyed due to extremism [Nisa'i] Injustice of the self-righteousSome deviant people/groups are com-mitting acts in the name of Islam which are contrary to the fundamental of our faith, while not enough seem courageous enough to openly stand up to these bullies who are denigrating the name and image of Islam.

We have opened the Registration of the Qur-aan competition for this year. Anyone who wants his/ her Madrasah or Islamic Institution in-cluded in the Competition should reg-ister with the Dawah Office in Jamia on or before 1st Rajab 1436/ 20th April 2015. Late Registration will not be entertained. The participat-ing Madaaris should be in Nairobi County and Its Environs. SHUKRAN!

Jamia Mosque Qur-aan Competition 1436 H/ 2015 CE

SUNDAY LECTURE

Jamaada Al Thanny 21,1436/April 10 ,2015

Reverts Basic 6-Months CourseThe Programme will In Shaa Allaah commencie as from Saturday, the 11th April 2015.Venue: Jamia Training Institute (JTI) at Lecture Room 2Time: 2.00 pm. All are welcome to join.

Remember the words of Prophet Muham-mad (peace be upon him): "A Muslim (one who proclaims faith) is that person from whose hands and tongue other Muslims are safe; A Mu'min (one who manifests faith) is that person in whom humanity find safety and security regarding their lives, property and honor." [Baihaqi] The Prophet (peace be upon him) further advised ...Al-lah is kind and loves kindness in every matter, and kindness has been granted capacity which violence could never attain. [Sahih Muslim] May Allah protect the innocent from the in-justices of the self-righteous.

SUNDAY LECTURE

SUNDAY

Lecturer: Ustadhah Zaynab Abdallah

Topic:The Concept of at-Tawhiyd in Islam

Date: 11th April 2015 Time: 2.00 - 4.00 pm Venue Jamia Multi-Purpose Hall

For Sisters Only

SATURDAY LECTURE

FORM 4 LEAVERS WORKSHOPDate: 12th April 2015Time: 8am to 4pmVenue: Jamia Mosque boardroomOrganized by Light Sisters, Muslim Education Council, Mahaad Teachers Training College and Al Hidaya groupFor details contact 0722742709

The Friday Bulletin BULETTIN PICTORIAL

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Commissioning of the Jamia Mosque Solar Project Jamaada Al Thanny 21,1436/April 10 ,2015

Left: Jamia Mosque chairman Muhammad Osman Warfa officially commissions the Solar project. The project is expected to signifi-cantly reduce the exhorbitant cost of power used by the mosque by more than 70 percent. Right: Mosque officials and members of the Majlis Ulamaa Jamia inspects the solar panels on the mosque rooftops. Two hundred panels have been installed and currently providing power to the mosque during daylight hours.

1. A bird's eye view of the KICC Tsavo ballroom during the JOF conference. More than 4,500 people attended the three day event. 2. Sheikh Adil Kalbani the former Imam of the Grand Mosque of Makkah and Sheikh Ab-dulrahman Mansoor al Qahtani during question time. 3. Sheikh Said Rageah addresses the gathering. 4. Abubakar Muhammad Salah, a student of the Imam Shafi Madrassa who emerged the winner of a Quran recitation competition to imitate Sheikh Adil Kalbani. 5. A selfie of Boona Muhammad, the award winning Canadian poet who was the main attraction at the con-ference. His poem on the Garissa University College attack drew large applause from participants. 6. Partici-pants follow the lecture of Sheikh Waseem Kempson from Britain

Glimpses from the second Journey of Faith-Africa Islamic Conference

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The Friday Bulletin

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Two of his photographs are making rounds on social media.In one photograph, he is wearing a neat black suit, a matching tie with a white shirt. He stands between a pair of other profes-sional-looking men. His big smile. His great panache. This looks like a man destined for eminence. You cant imagine what lurks behind the grand mask: a monster. His name is Abdirahim Muhammad Abdullahi.The second photo completely blows your mind. Abdirahim is lying on the floor, wear-ing a stripped shirt with loose edges, en-closed by his blood. Dead. He was one of the men who annihilated 147 students at Garissa University College on Thursday, April 2, the highest academic center in the entire northeastern region.Very different photos, you say. His story is more shocking though.By all accounts, Abdirahim had a promising life. In 2013, he graduated from the Univer-sity of Nairobis School of Law. Previously, he had studied at WAMY High School in Nairobi, getting an average mean grade of A- in his Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examinations in 2007.By all standards, the boy had the right set of circumstances many young people from his home northeastern region usually dont get. What happened? Why did some-one with such a promising future join al-Shabaab and commit such heinous acts? What books did Abdirahim read? Who were his mentors? You wonder.We may never know this. But we can imag-ine a few things.We can imagine the pain of his parents.We can imagine how his mother and father reacted when they got to learn of his death.Even if they suspected that he had joined al-Shabaab, something his father talked about and alerted the authorities, this was a heavy jolt for them. More shocking was the fact that he had participated in taking away innocent lives. A whooping 147 of them.There are also a few things we saw.We saw the first page of the Saturday Na-tion, dark and disheartening, crying Grief and Pain. We saw parents, holding hands on their heads, wailing. We witnessed promising lives cut short. The agony of the families and friends of the victims.Moreover, we saw the extraordinary extent the human spirit can stretch to survive. One young woman named Cynthia Che-rotich pulled through 48 hours by eating a body lotion, Nice & Lovely to be exact, ac-cording to the Sunday Nation.Abdirahims story, if anything, shows the enhanced degree of competence of the terrorists. Since 2012, the Kenyan govern-ment has been asking for the repatriation of the Somali refugees in the country, claim-ing they are a threat to Kenyas security. This may be true, but it doesnt bring any immediate solutions. The scale of the prob-lem seems to be worse than envisaged.Abdirahim Muhammad Abdullahi was one of the al-Shabaab gunmen who killed near-ly 150 people at a university in Garissa.

Now its clear al-Shabaab is not only draft-ing Somali refugees but also professionals we know a lawyer now, there are definite-ly others too who were born and brought up in this country. They brainwash the edu-cated and the unlearned alike. They also prey on the new converts, for their limited knowledge of the religion serves as an up-per hand for the terrorists who promise them a heavenly afterlife.Parents now have many reasons to fear for their children. Al-Shabaab doesnt recruit from the bushes. Nor do they hide in the skies. They are with us everywhere. In the mosques, in schools, at work, on the Inter-net. We need to start using the same meth-ods they use to fight against them. This begins by understanding that not every So-mali is a terrorist.Somalia seems to be a land of distorted stories, a far away country where people speak an unfathomable language. Kenya is even building a wall on the border it shares with Somalia. This is a mere attempt to put away the setbacks, a lazy way to face the future. Curtains wont shield you from your neighbors; understanding them may help you get away from the threats emanating from there.Kenyans need to read about Somalia. They need to understand Somalis are not merely monsters but rather people with feelings, dreams and ambitions. A war is raging in the country, yes. But people still live there and survive. That is something worth knowing. Then you may further understand what led to the prolonged war. What is al-Shabaab? What motivates them? Learn about them first and you may just find the solution.Kenyan writers and journalists could stop misspelling Somali names and exaggerat-ing mere happenstances and instead go a step ahead in their research by making an effort to understand what they are writing about. The media shouldnt just be telling stories from Somalia for the sake of pub-lishing. You are informing an entire nation, so you dont need to create more problems but to solve the existing ones.Somalis are organized in clans, so it would be a good idea to co-operate with the clans for intelligence gathering. But if the people fear you, if they are collectively punished for what a few gangsters do, they will prob-ably not contribute to the solution. Somalis need to feel they belong to this country. Then they will be ready to happily pro-tect their land and the interlopers who are wrecking havoc. They will work with the au-thorities to save the children from the im-minent threat of terrorists. Remember, we can only beat the enemy in unison.The other thing would be to quickly ad-dress the identity crisis many young Ken-yan Somalis are dealing with everyday. Those who belong to this land and its his-tory as much as other Kenyans are still de-nied identity cards. They can neither travel nor get jobs. In northeastern Kenya, there is a checkpoint everywhere. Sometimes

OPINION

How to overcome Al-Shabaab in KenyaAsad Hussein

Jamaada Al Thanny 21,1436/April 10 ,2015

the police even raid homes. The youth are therefore likely to become terrorists, be-cause they are disgruntled and they feel they dont belong here. But they do. The government needs to make sure no one pays money to acquire an identity card.Infrastructure is also an important issue here. It is necessary to improve the road network in the northeastern region. It now takes more than ten hours for a bus from Nairobi to reach Mandera, Wajir or even the Dadaab refugee camps. There are no highways or connecting roads in the re-gion. The vehicle just trudges through the dust. It is impossible to quickly respond to any security crisis in the area. Soldiers from Garissa take three hours to reach Dadaab by road.Finally, we need to deal with the elephant in the room: Corruption in our police force. Many of them sell their nation for a few thousand shillings. If given money, they release hardcore criminals and detain in-nocent refugees. They are not afraid to ask for more money, because no one is holding them accountable.As we mourn the lives lost in the recent Garissa attack, as we put in place meas-ures to strengthen security in this country, we should also address the major difficul-ties facing the youth. If we dont satisfy their thirst, al-Shabaab may do it for us. And, as we have seen before, we may not like the outcome.Quit talking; its time to act.

ernment needs to keep on reviewing and changing its strategy because the same old tactics cannot be applied to terror net-works, said Ole Naado.Appearing on a local television channel Nairobi lawyer and Jamia mosque com-mittee member Sheikh Ibrahim Lethome slammed the government for blaming the communitys leadership and instead ac-cused it of not being accommodative. I am glad the government has realized it cannot go it alone as they need to involve all stakeholders in this campaign, said Lethome.Speaking on the same forum, a political analyst Abdullahi Boru said radicalization cannot be fought using military means every time there is a security lapse. He added that the blanket condemnation of the Muslim and Somali communities con-tinues to breed mistrust between the secu-rity apparatus and the communities.He said the state has focused more on counter terrorism efforts and failed to see the need for countering radicalization.On his part Mandera South Member of Parliament Muhammad Aden Huka termed as fallacy claims that North Eastern re-gion is a breeding ground for terrorist saying that if an individual from the area is found to culpable of being involved in crime, the whole region should not be col-lectively blamed.

Continued From Page 2Uhuru faulted in war on terror

The Friday Bulletin

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The government imposed a dusk to dawn curfew on four counties, three in Northern Kenya and the fourth a neighboring county in the former coast province.This follows Thursdays siege by Al-Shabaab fighters of Garissa University Col-lege in Garissa town.Inspector General Joseph Boinnet an-nounced that Garissa, Wajir, Mandera and Tana River counties will be slapped with a 6.30pm 6.30m embargo.He said the curfew will start from Friday, April 3, to April 16 in the four counties.Every person residing in these four counties are directed to remain indoors during the pe-riod the curfew orders are in force, Boinett said.Boinett was speaking in Garissa town to the press when he said the curfew orders will be in force in accordance with terms of a written permit granted by the respective county commanders.The police chief had earlier said that gun-men had forced their way into Garissa Uni-versity by shooting at the guards manning the main gate early Thursday morning.

Curfew imposed on 4 counties following Garissa attack

Armin Rosen

Jamaada Al Thanny 21,1436/April 10 ,2015

In the wake of the massacre in Garissa, the Kenyan government has been harshly criticized by its citizens for missing the clues of an impending attack by the Soma-li al Qaeda affiliate al Shabaab. Gunmen from the group killed 147 people dead at a university in the eastern Kenyan city of Garissa on April 2nd.Now, it's clear that Nairobi's initial reaction to the attack is to go after the country's siz-able Somali minority.On April 4th, the government published a list of "entities suspected to be associ-ated with Al Shabaab", including 13 of the largest Somali-operated money transfer companies working in Kenya. On April 8th, the government ordered those companies' activities to cease and froze all of their ac-counts.A number of them have offices in the US, where they're subjected to some of the world's most comprehensive anti-terror fi-nancing regulations. The Kenyan list also included the Dubai-based Dahabshiil, which is Africa's largest money-transfer company. The closures hit prominent fi-nancial institutions that have been allowed to operate in far stricter legal environments than Kenya's.Kenya has around 2.5 million citizens who are of Somali ethnicity, and hosts 464,000 Somali refugees. Dadaab, the largest refu-gee camp on earth, is home to around 335,000 Somalis who have fled the coun-try's recent famine and armed conflict. "This is a decision which significantly im-pacts on the entire Somali remittance in-dustry," Adan Hasaan, a US-based compli-ance manager of the Kaah Express money

Kenya is responding to the latest al-Shabaab attack in a way that could make the country's terror problem worse

transfer company, told Business Insider. Kaah is one of the services affected the closures, and Hasaan estimates that between 30 and 40% of the money his company handles is sent to Kenya. That means that remittance flows to Somalis from Kenya could actually be comparable with the $1.6 billion sent to Somalia from outside the country each year.Hasaan says that the decision to shut down the transit companies was totally un-expected and was not preceded by any in-vestigation that he knew of it was "not a gradual decision," says Hasaan. The com-panies were publicly linked to a notorious terrorist group by the Kenyan government and then ordered to stop operating.Hasaan doesn't have a timetable for re-storing service to Kenya. But he's confi-dent that the government's order couldn't survive legal scrutiny. "You can't just shut down an entire industry without evidence, without even credible suspicious," Hassan said. "It's just so ridiculous."Kenya's decision to go after Somali mon-ey transfer companies so immediately af-ter the Garissa attack suggests that the government's immediate reaction to the atrocity isn't to reexamine its counter-ter-ror practices but to sate popular anger by pressuring its Somali population. This is a potentially dangerous course. There is a notable contingent of Kenyan Somalis fighting with Al Shabaab and the group has used longstanding grievances over Somali political and social marginali-zation in Kenya to drive recruitment there. And there's existing hostility towards Ken-ya's Somali population. There was an out-

break of anti-Somali rioting in 2012, and the government's actions in recent years, particularly after the 2013 Shabaab at-tack on Nairobi's Westgate mall, have only raised tensions. As Rahma Dualeh, a senior consultant with the Nairobi-based think tank Sahan Research, told Business Insider, "People who are talking about economic and po-litical inclusion are being labeled as ter-rorists," while the government is trying "to make their narrative easier" by associating regional or ethnic autonomy movements in the country's northern and eastern regions with the Shabaab threat.The decision to shut down the money transfer companies puts the Kenyan gov-ernment on a course that will only deepen the ethnic and religious divisions that allow extremist groups to thrive, while also cut-ting millions of people off from their liveli-hood.As Scott Paul, a senior humanitarian poli-cy advisor at Oxfam America, explained to Business Insider, if it turns out the transfer companies really are a security threat, the Kenyan authorities should have to prove it first."While Kenya faces a genuine terror threat, its response must not undercut the legitimate flows of money that Somalis in Kenya and Somalia depend on to survive and develop communities," says Paul. "Instead of shutting down the whole remit-tance sector, Kenya should vet remittance companies on a case-by-case basis to en-sure theyre preventing illicit transactions and complying with the law. (businessin-sider.com)

Garissa killings a national tragic lossThe massacre of students in Garissa is a tragic loss to the country. This was the sen-timents from Sheikh Juma Amir, the deputy Imam of Jamia Mosque who said the kill-ing has robbed the nation of young bright minds who would have contributed posi-tively to the nations future. We have been contributed to the future well being of the nation, he said during a meeting with the education Principal Secretary Dr. Richard Belio Kipsang at the Chiromo Mortuary on Wednesday.The Sheikh led a delegation from Jamia Mosque which distributed food items to the victims of the Garissa University College attack.Sheikh Juma disassociated the attackers with Islam saying that their actions were contrary to Islamic teachings adding that Muslim do not support acts of violence di-rected against innocent people. We stand here with the rest of the nation to condemn these despicable acts and the government should move with speed to arrest those re-sponsible for this carnage, he said.The Sheikh further urged the government

to review its mission in Somalia saying that it is turning out to be a misfortune for Kenyans. While our troops have pacified Somalia, it pains to us to see that this is being done at the expense of the lives of innocent Kenyans, he said. For how long will this situation continue and or how long will Kenyans be mourning and burying vic-tims of terrorism, he asked.Dr. Kipsang on his part appreciated the support from the Muslim community saying that it was a demonstration on the sense of unity in the country. The principal secre-tary observed that the tragedy far from the goals of its perpetrators to cause sectarian divisions, it has further served to bring the country together. Jamia Mosque Committee donated food-stuffs worth Sh 50,000 towards the families of the victims who for the past week have been camped at the Chiromo Mortuary awaiting the identification of the bodies.Officials from the mosque partnered with Muslim students at the University of Nai-robi in distribution exercise.

The Friday Bulletin NATIONAL

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The Chief executive of the Kenya Forex Remittance Association Anthony Wachira has criticized the government move to close forex bureaus saying the decision was ill informed as they operated within the legal framework.In a press statement released on Wednes-day, he said the money exchange busi-nesses were operating under a legal framework and their activities were closely monitored by the regulatory authority, the Central Bank of Kenya and the association.Our members are legally licensed entities monitored by both the Central Bank and the Financial Reporting Centre. Most of the suspended firms have been audited and have been given a clean bill of health," he said.He refuted claims that the closure targeted hawalas (informal money transfer bureaus) explaining that these were backstreet busi-ness establishments while the forex bu-reau operated under government super-vision. "The money remittance providers follow rigorous rules set by the CBK to en-sure that the money that passes through them does not up in illegal activities," he explained.

Wachira complained that the decision was taken unilaterally without even giving the affected forex bureaus an opportunity to defend themselves. "We are greatly concerned that our mem-bers have been classified together with suspected terrorists, we do not at any time support or encourage our members to en-gage in any way with terrorists or terrorist activities," he said. It hurts me as the head of the association and I feel that I may also be categorized as a terrorist, he said later during an inter-view on Citizen TV.Wachira said the closure would have nega-tive effect on the economy as many of these closed forex bureaus dealt with re-mittance from the diaspora which had been identified as among the main drivers of the economy. Last year, diaspora remittance to the country saw over US$ 300 million being injected into the economy.Among the closed forex bureau was Da-habshil, which is Africas leading money transfer business with operations in 126 countries worldwide including the United States, Britain and Australia.

Imams need also to be vetted and scruti-nized to ensure that only qualified and suit-able mosque leaders are appointed to such positions.The North Rift chairman Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya (CIPK) Sheikh Abubakar Bini at the same time said crite-ria should be developed by Islamic schol-ars to see to it that those serving as Imams are properly qualified and adhere to Islamic ethics.Sheikh Bini regretted that while there were clear parameters governing profession-als, the same was lacking with regard to Islamic scholars opening ways for pseudo Imams to issue legal injunctions (fataawa) some of which were contrary to the Islamic teachings and harmed the reputation of re-ligion.Addressing Muslim gathering in Matungu sub-county during the opening ceremony of the newly constructed Makadara Jamia Mosque and Islamic centre over the week-end, he advised local Muslims to assume positions of leadership and effectively serve the wider society.On his part Kakamega Jamia Mosque and Islamic centre Imam Sheikh Ibrahim Sad-alla challenged Muslim scholars to be help-ful in their communities and called on those from the region who benefited with schol-arships overseas to return to the region to strengthen Islam with their knowledge.Sheikh Sadalla reminded the local commu-nity that owing to Nabongo Kingdom,the region was the second largest region to re-ceive Islam after Coast and wondered why Islam was declining in the region and en-couraged the community to forge unity and network to ensure prosperity and growth of Islam in the region.He urged Muslims in the region to come out and support the promotion and growth of education in their institutions of learning, stressing that support from Muslims and its leadership is a critical element in driving the growth and improvement of education standards and other social-economic de-velopment in the Muslim community. He further called for the establishment of madrassa secondary and university levels in the region in order to absorb students who have completed their primary level to further their education for spiritual develop-ment.In his remarks Imam Bungoma Jamia Mosque Sheikh Ali Masoud advised Mus-lims in the region to use mosques as edu-cational and guidance centre to enhance on their spiritual affairs.Speaking at the event, the national Chair-man Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya (CIPK), Sheikh Abdalla Ateka called for teamwork among Muslim leaders as a means of attaining social-economic devel-opment in the Muslim community.Others in attendance were Sheikh Hamza Ismail Imam Mumias Jamia Mosque, and Sheikh Abubakar Boi Imam Webuye Jamia Mosque.

Inculcate professionalismamong Imams

Forex boss slams closure of bureau

Jamaada Al Thanny 21,1436/April 10 ,2015

Two prominent Muslim based human rights lobby groups have vehemently protested government accusations of links to terror-ism and demanded a full explanation on how the decision was reached.Confirming that their accounts were among those frozen by the government, Muslims for Human Rights (MUHURI) and Haki Afri-ca denied having any links to terror related activities.In a gazette notice on Wednesday, the gov-ernment froze the accounts of the 86 or-ganizations and individuals which included the two organizations which were accused of links with Al Shabbab. The two organisa-tions have been at the forefront in defend-ing the rights of Kenyans."We want to inform the public that our work will continue as normal and we shall not deter from doing our work in the struggle to promote and protect the enjoyment of human rights and civil liberties," MUHURI board chairperson Khelef Khalifa said.MUHURI has always complied and our activities are centre around, peace building and good governance. We do not support or have links with terrorists, he stressed.In his response, the Haki Africa executive director Hussein Khalid termed the move political saying that they have complied with government regulations and there was no way that they could have links with il-legal groups. The government is now turning against us to say that we are bad people yet we have been instrumental in helping towards the efforts to fight extremism, radicalization

and terrorism and we have gone beyond the limits in ensuring that there is peace in the country, he added."It is even laughable that anyone would as-sociate our activities with such kind of alle-gations. Our work has always been to work with communities and the government to promote partnership, Hussein added.Saying that Haki Africa's work involves promoting good partnership between the government and communities, the execu-tive director called on the government to immediately reconsider the decision and expressed fears that the freezing of funds will affect human rights programs run by the organization.Citing section III of the Prevention of Terror-ism Act 2012, the Inspector General of po-lice, Joseph Boinnet gazetted 86 names of people and organizations allegedly linked to terrorism. "In accordance with subsec-tion II of section III of the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2012, the Inspector General of Police notifies the entities set out in the attached list to demonstrate within the next 24 hours why it should not be declared as a specified entity," said Boinnet in the notice.Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Director Ndegwa Muhoro said the accounts are being probed for having ties with Al-Shabaab terror group activities.The decision to freeze the accounts have affected various businesses notably forex bureaus, 13 of which have been shut down and also affected nearly all bus companies heading to North Eastern region from Nai-robi.

Muhuri and Haki Africa protest terror links

The tedious journey of achieving his dreams after complet-ing primary school and securing a place in secondary school has not been an easy one. Ahmed started schooling in a remote public school in northern Kenya that could barely be compared to anything called a school vis--vis to the mod-ern schools in the urban setup. His father died when Ahmed could barely talk and he was left with his mother and three other siblings to fend for their lives. Ahmeds single parent had struggled to support him through his primary education and when he sat for his Standard 8 KCPE national exams, he emerged among the top students in Mandera county by scoring 388 marks out of the over-all 500 marks. This excitement lasted for a very short time when they realised that for Ahmed to keep on with his stud-ies her mother Dahabow, a widow and the sole breadwin-ner for her family should raise Sh120,000 for him to join the prestigious school at Alliance high school. She started look-ing for well wishers and Organisations that could sponsor her son and fortunately, her neighbour told her of Ummah Foundation, a humanitarian and charitable organization that supports bright Muslim students from across the country to pursue their secondary education. The Foundation spon-sors and supports bright and needy, more specifically the kind of Ahmed, who is an orphan. She applied to Ummah Foundation and Ahmed qualified to be one of the beneficiar-ies of the Bursary Scheme.I have done all kinds of odd jobs to ensure my children get to school. Fare for Ahmed to just take him to Alliance High School was Kshs.3, 000 and thats just one way! says Mama Dahabow. To raise the amount she has to engage in odd jobs including cleaning homes, as well as menial jobs like working on construction sites and mixing ballast. She looked for ways she could ensure her son went to second-ary school by asking friends and family for support. People would discourage me asking me why I am investing in his education yet he is just a young man who can start his own lifestyle by looking after camels and raring cattle. Ahmed is the first boy from his village to have ever joined a national school courtesy of Ummah Foundation. I have kept focus on reading hard and revising diligently with the teachers because I know education will take me places so that I help my mother who works hard a smiling Ahmed says. Ahmed is now able to go to school on time and with no worries of sourcing for school fees. His mother cannot contain her joy as she feels a burden has been lifted from her. I cannot thank Ummah Foundation Bursary Fund enough for assisting my son and I know he will not disap-point us.Ahmed is well on his way to secondary school and main-tains that he will still be as hardworking and diligent as he was in primary school. He wants to be a pilot and join the aviation world when he completes secondary school.Ummah Foundation would like to appeal to likeminded organizations to go out in the rural areas and search for unique talents that are lost due to poverty and lack of rais-ing fees. This is how we will make our community grow by identifying isolated cases like Ahmed for our future growth. Contact us:Ummah FoundationVillage Plaza, 2nd Floor,Ngara RdP.O. Box 58717-00200 NairobiTel: +254-20-2680610/13 Mob: 0734845277Email: info@ummahfoundation.netwww.ummahfoundation.net

Ummah supports the needy to achieve their dreams

The Friday Bulletin is a Publication of Jamia Masjid Committee, P. O. Box 100786-00101 Nairobi, Tel: 2243504/5 Fax: 342147 E-mail: fridaybulletin@gmail.com or jamiamajlis@gmail.com Printed by Graphic Lineups Limited-Kweria Road info@graphic.co.ke

An International Non Governmental Organization with a registered office in Kenya, working in more than 14 Countries across Africa with thematic focus on emergency relief, education, orphans support, skills development, water & sanitation and health, seeking to recruit dis-tinguished individuals to fill the following positions;1. PUBLIC RELATIONS AND MEDIA OFFICERMinimum qualifications and skills required: University Graduate with Journalism/Mass Communication/ Public Relations Two years experience in relevant field IT Skills in Photoshop, CorelDraw and MS-Office Good photography skills Excellent Oral & Written Communication Skills 2. PROGRAM OFFICER FOR SKILLS DEVELOPMENT Minimum qualifications and skills required: University Graduate with Community Development and Social work/Business Administration with Marketing IT Skills (especially in MS-Office) Two years experience in vocational training, entrepreneurship and marketingInterested and qualified candidates can send their CV and detailed cover letter not later than 16th April 2015 before 5pm to info@hhrd.or.ke and hhrdkenya@gmail.com. Female candidates are highly encouraged to apply for both vacancies. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for interviews.

VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT

MEDICAL CONSULTING CAMP AT CARE HOSPITAL (FORMERLY AFWAN HOSPITAL)Greetings from Care Hospital (Formerly Afwan Hospital)We are organizing medical consulting camp in asssociation with Shalby Hospitals from India. The visiting Orthopedic Surgeon will are advising patients suffer-ing from knee, hip joint and spine related problems.The details of the same are as under:1. Date : 16th April 2015.2. Day : Thursday3. Consulting Fees : 2000 Ksh4. Venue : Care Hospital (Formerly Afwan Hospital) Out Patient Department5. Time : 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.Patients are advised to come with the X-rays and medical reports If they have any while coming to see doctor.Please call On 0723 937 630, 0715216808 for booking and ap-pointment or for further details.

Circumcision for Boys Safe Painless Heals in less than a week Reduce charges over the holidaysOther services include X-Ray and ultra sound services Endoscopy services Children Immunization Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) Psychiatric clinic Surgical clinic 24 Hour Ambulance Services Peadiatric neurology clinic Epilepsy clinicWe are located at Pumwani, directly opposite the Pumwani Ma-ternity Hospital. For more information call us on 0723 937 630, 0739136969, 020-8084481